This Bubbly Negroni Is the Only Valentine’s Day Cocktail You Should Care About

The Negroni Sbagliato is the most romantic cocktail you can make. Evidence: It is red, the color of love! It involves sparkling wine! It’s from Italy! (Have you seen Call Me by Your Name?) It’s a little sweet and a little bitter—like romance! And saying it out loud forces your tongue to do acrobatics, like making out.

It's also what you’re making for someone on Valentine’s Day, if you have a person you'd like to make a cocktail for.

You probably know what a Negroni is by this point, as they’ve been unavoidable for most of this decade, but just in case, it’s a cocktail made with equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari, an Italian aperitif. It’s a hell of a drink, by which I mean it’s intense and boozy. It's perfect in the right situation but can otherwise feel heavy-handed. A bit of a bully. (Particularly if it's not stirred long enough.)

You're probably not as familiar with the sbagliato part (unless you're Italian, or really into bitter sparkling cocktails). Depending on whom you ask, it means broken, mistaken, or wrong, which is funny if you, like me, believe that this bubbly thing is actually an improvement on the classic Negroni. Swap the gin for some prosecco, and you’re left with a cocktail that is lighter in body and flavor, plus you can drink more than one of them without taking a nap. (Helpful for romance.) It also happens to bring maximum sophistication at a relatively low price point.

Here’s how to make one to impress whoever you need to impress:

You’ll need Campari. This part is easy: Campari is just Campari. There aren’t different brands. It’s a little bit of an acquired taste, so if you’ve never had it before, grab a small bottle. (And if, like me, you love the stuff, grab a big one.)

You’ll need sweet vermouth. There are a lot of options here; Carpano Antica is a standard, not-too-expensive choice, but if you want to check out some less-conventional options, head to your local wine shop and ask a friendly salesperson for some fortified-wine-related advice. Remember that vermouth needs to be refrigerated once opened.

And you’ll need prosecco. Or, really, any sparkling wine, so long as it’s dry. You don’t need something fancy; the Campari and vermouth are going to overshadow most of what you’d get from a fine sparkling wine, so you can cheap out a little here. Maybe don't buy Andre, but don’t break the bank. Put it in the fridge to chill.

I like my Negroni Sbagliatos on the rocks—you can drink them out of a rocks glass (always a win), and the ice makes it last a bit longer—but some people drink them served up (chilled and without ice) in a champagne flute or coupe. It's your call.

Take an Old Fashioned glass or whatever short, wide glass you've got and fill it with ice. Add a shot of Campari and a shot of sweet vermouth; stir for 15 or 20 seconds, till everything is cold. Top with prosecco and add an orange slice.